Flower Kiosk provides fresh blooms at all hours

One of the three category winners at the Australian Sensis YellowPages Business Ideas Grant Awards for 2003, Lisa Hayden's unique Floral eKiosk provides an automated self-service vending machine that provides access to fresh flowers 24 hours a day. The floral eKiosk is designed to fill a niche in a marketplace that is driven by impulse buying, with 95% of flower purchases for pick up or delivery happening on same day. The system also creates a non-intrusive environment where men in particular feel less embarrassed purchasing flowers and sending personal messages.

Flowers All Hours blossomed from Pollination Pty Limited and has become a multi award winning business, including National Winner at the Australian Sensis YellowPages Business Ideas Grant Awards for 2003. Lisa Hayden's unique Floral eKiosk is a self automated flower delivery service and vending machine that provides access to fresh flowers 24 hours a day. The floral eKiosk is designed to fill a niche in a marketplace that is driven by impulse buying, with 95% of flower purchases for pick up or delivery happening on same day. The system also creates a non-intrusive environment where men in particular feel less embarrassed purchasing flowers and sending personal messages.

Because the Floral eKiosk operates at a controlled temperature and flowers are protected from light, dehydration (caused from air conditioning) and ethylene gas (given off by cars and ripened fruit), flower shelf-life is increased by up to 3 times compared with arrangements purchased from most grocery stores, supermarkets or garage stations.

The customer uses a touch screen interface to purchase flower arrangements directly from a machine or arrange to send an order anywhere world-wide.

Overseas floral orders are sent immediately and local Australian orders are organised for delivery same day if placed before 3pm.

Payment is via cash or credit card payments and a receipt is issued. Users can also register to be reminded of birthdays and anniversaries.

Pollination P/L, the company behind the "Flowers all Hours" system has plans to market the unique product broadly, both in Australia and overseas, targeting locations from hospitals, train stations and supermarkets to airports, casino's, drive through bottle shops, 24 hours garage stations, clubs, crematorium and retirement villages.

After obtained an international patent pending for an idea identified in a niche market Flowers All Hours launched the Floral eKiosk delivery system in Australia on Mother’s Day 2004, the vending machine prototype is the next stage to finalise development.

Besides the self automated kiosk and vending machine, Flowers All Hours is continuing to live up to its brand name & promise (Flowers All Hours, all locations, all occasions) as it has added to its network flower purchases over selected standalone EFTPOS devices which will launch in Q3, 2005.

Mike grew up thinking he would become a mathematician, accidentally started motorcycle racing, got a job writing road tests for a motorcycle magazine while at university, and became a writer. As a travelling photojournalist during his early career, his work was published in a dozen languages across 20+ countries. He went on to edit or manage over 50 print publications, with target audiences ranging from pensioners to plumbers, many different sports, many car and motorcycle magazines, with many more in the fields of communication - narrow subject magazines on topics such as advertising, marketing, visual communications, design, presentation and direct marketing. Then came the internet and Mike managed internet projects for Australia's largest multimedia company, Telstra.com.au (Australia's largest Telco), Seek.com.au (Australia's largest employment site), top100.com.au, hitwise.com, and a dozen other internet start-ups before founding Gizmag in 2002. Now he writes and thinks.